Universal valve



M, 26 1939. R CLADE 2,184,533

UNIVERSAL VALVE Filed Feb. 25, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 C 2 -3- I 5 f. 2'

INVENTOR 6 7 v Q 03222? C/ade ATTORN EY 33$. R. GLADE 9 UNIVERSAL VALVEFiled Feb. 25, 1938 2 Sheets-$heet 2 g aoz-erwzaz {{{21 ATTO R N EYPatented Dec. 26, 1939 UNITED STATE FFICE UNIVERSAL VALVE ApplicationFebruary 25, 1938, Serial No. 192,523

1 Claim.

This invention relates in general to valves and in particular tolubricated valveswhich may be operated either by wrench or by variousgear arrangements. Valves as previously constructed have required thecarrying in stock of several types, that is, a type intended for wrenchoperation, another type intended for worm gear operation and still athird type intended for spur gear operation. Each of these types were ofdifferent formation and it was impossible to change the manner ofomration without returning the valve to the shops for extensiverebuilding. The manufacture of the three separate types of valvesnecessitated the carrying in stock of a large number of various sizes ofeach type and very frequently orders were received for one type of valvein excess of the number on hand and it was necessary, in order to fillthe order, to either make extensive changeson one of the other types ordelay filling the order and manufacture additional valves of the typedesired. It is obvious that such a procedure often resulted in loss ofat least part, if not the entire order, in cases where a rush deliverywas desired. It is also obvious that this practice required a tremendousstock to be carried on hand at all times, thus seriously handicappingboth the shops and the warehouse.

In a large number of instances a customer has desired a valve of onetype; and after installation thereof has discovered that the valveifoperated by means .of gearing would be far better suited to his needs.With the valves as previously manufactured it is necessary to complete-35 1y disconnect the valve and return it to the shop for conversion toanother type, thus inconveniencing the customer and causing himconsiderable loss both in time and money. It is an object, therefore, ofthis invention to provide 0 an improved valve which may be readilyconverted even while in use to a diiferent type.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a single type ofvalve which may be operated either by wrench, by worm or by spur 45gearing without necessitating any change in the valve structure itself.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a singletype of valve which may be manufactured and after manufacture readilyconverted to another type by merely attaching or removing certain parts.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to personsskilled in the art from a study of the following description andaccomv55 panying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side view partly in section of the improved valve asformed for wrench operation;

Fig. 2 is a plan view partly in section of the valve shown in Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same valve with a 15 part attached in orderto operate the valve by means of worm gearing;

' Fig. 4 is a side view partly in section of the converted valve of Fig.3;

Fig; 5 is a side view partly in section of the 10 valve of Fig. l withstock parts added to convert it for spur gear operation;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the valve shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a side view of the grease gun exten- 15 sion as used inconnection with Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a valve plug as received in the machine shop;

Fig. 9 is a partial sectional view showing the old type of wrenchoperated valve; 20

Fig. 10 is a partial sectional view of the old type of worm gearoperated valve;

Fig. 11, is a partial sectional view of the old type of valve asdesigned for spur gear operation, and

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary detail view showing an integral head type valvebody, adapted for the present invention. 7

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the valve shown inFigs. 1 to 6 inclusive is of a well known type and comprises a body Band a plug C. The valve shown is of the cylindrical type, that is, theplug is cylindrical and the body is provided with a substantiallycylindrical valve seat arranged transverse to a passageway extendingthrough the body and in communication with fluid transfer ports 2 and 4.

Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive show a valve in which the plug is inserted intothe body through the head portion thereof and is resiliently supportedin the base of the body by suitable resilient means such as a spring 6or the like arranged in a base plug 1 secured to an integral base 8. 7

The head portion of the valve is provided with a substantially centrallyapertured gland or cover plate l0 secured as by bolts H or the like tothe body 13 and so formed as to provide a bearing surface 9 resting upona shoulder l3 at the upper end of the plug surrounding a stem indicatedgenerally at S.

The valve plug is substantially similar to that shown in Patent No.2,038,887 issued to Glade et a1. April 28, 1936, except that shoulder l3provides for a lubricant chamber H5 at the periphery of the plug.i Thestem S is bored to l and 2.

provide a lubricant reservoir 22, and is tapped to secure a ram 24 bywhich lubricant may be forced from reservoir 22 past check valve 26 intopassages or ducts 28; all as substantially disclosed in the aforesaidpatent.

The stem S may be considered as formed of three parts, namely, acylindrical portion I6 arranged in the aperture in gland i with theperiphery slightly spaced from the gland as clearly shown in Fig. l, astop engaging portion I8, and an upper or operator receiving portion 28.

As plugs are received from the foundry, it will be apparent that thevarious portions and surfaces may not be concentric with respect to eachother; that is (referring now to Fig. 8), the seating surface 29 of theplug and the operator receiving portion are very likely to haverespectively different centers.

It has been the practice to machine the seating surface 29 and theperiphery of the cylindrical stem portion 58 whereby they may beconcentric With each other. If the plug was designed for wrenchoperation the operator portion 28 was not touched. In the event the plugwas to be operated by a gear, it was necessary to machine the operatorportion 2!] (Fig. 1) until it was concentric with the seating surface ofthe plug and the periphery of portion 66 of the stem S. This cylindricaloperator portion is indicated at 3i, Figs. 10 and 11. In order to securea gear to portion 3!, it was necessary to cut a keyway 38 in portion 3ladifficult, expensive and time consuming operation.

For worm gear operation, it was necessary to provide lugs 32 on thebody, as shown in Fig. 10, and for spur gear operation it was necessaryto provide a bearing pin 33 on the valve body, as shown in Fig. 11.

From the above it can be seen that it has been the practice to providethree separate and distinct types of valve bodies and plugs to beprepared to furnish the particular type of valve desired, thisnecessitating a manufacturer being obliged to stock a large quantity ofvalve plugs and bodies. The present invention eliminates thisdisadvantage and provides what may be termed a standard plug andstandard valve body, adapted either for wrench, gear, spur gear or wormgear operation.

The plug of the present invention is provided with a seating surfacewhich is concentric with the periphery of stem surface l6, as is usual,but, in machining the plug, the corners 34 of the operator receivingportion 20 of the stem S are removed to provide four segments concentricwith the axis of the plug. It is therefore obvious that with the plug soprepared a stem portion is provided which will receive a wrench, whileat the same time, due to the turning of the corners, various gears maybe placed on this plug without any change being necessary, since thecorners were turned at the same time and on the same centers as thecylindrical surface of the plug.

With the valve plug constructed as above described, it is only necessarythat it be assembled in the valve body in order to provide a valvesuitable for wrench operation as shown in Figs. If the valve is requiredfor worm gear operation, it is only necessary to provide longer bolts 36to securely clamp the worm gear supporting bracket 38 in position uponthe valve body. This bracket is formed with spaced upstanding bearingportions 39 adapted to receive the ends of a shaft 48 upon theintermediate part of which is mounted a worm 4!. The Worm isnon-rotatably secured upon the shaft by suitable means, such as setscrews 42, and the shaft is of sufiicient length to extend beyond oneof' the bearing portions in order to receive a hand wheel 43non-rotatably secured to the shaft by a set screw 44. A worm gear sector45 is provided having a central bore 46 of substantially the samediameter as the circle of which the stem corners 34 are segments. Thisbore has at least one and preferably two or more keyways 41 cut thereineach adapted to receive a key 48 to bear against the operator receivingportion, said keys being held in place by suitable means such as setscrews 49. The worm gear sector is formed with a sufficient number ofteeth 50 to insure at least a ninety degree movement of the valve plugand these teeth, of course, are so designed as to properly mesh with theteeth of the worm. For convenience in lubrication, the bearing portionsof the worm supporting bracket are provided with suitable greaseconnections 5|! as clearly shown.

To provide for operating the valve plug by spur gear mechanism, as inFigs. 5 and 6, a spur gear supporting bracket 60 is attached to thevalve body by means of bolts 36 and as described with reference to theworm operated valve of Figs. 3 and 4. This bracket may be asubstantially fiat plate formed with an apertured upstanding pI'O-jection 8| providing a seat for a driven pinion 64; journaled on a pin62 extending into seat 6i and retained by set screw 63 or the like.Extending upwardly from the pinion 64 is a projection 69 providing ashoulder H supporting a spur gear 65, which is keyed or otherwisesuitably secured to said projection to prevent movement relativethereto. Pinion 64 is in meshing relation with a spur gear segment H3formed with a hub portion provided with a central bore 12 ofsubstantially the same diameter as the circle of which the arcs 34 are apart. Bore 12 is provided with key- Ways receiving keys (4 arranged inengagement with the stem of the plug between segments 34 as shown inFig. 6.

Arranged in meshing relation with spur gear 65 is driving pinion 82journaled on a bearing pin P, shown clearly in Fig. 7, and comprising alower portion 16, suitably threaded and of a diameter such as to fit thebore 22 previously referred to, and an upper portion 11 on which thepinion B2 is journaled. The bearing pin is tubular and internallythreaded to receive ram 24 and the lower portion 16 is of reduceddiameter as shown in Fig. '7. The pin includes an intermediate portion18 of greater diameter than upper portion 71 to provide a seat 19 onwhich pinion B2 is supported, as shown in Fig. 5; the hub of said pinionbeing provided with an internal seat '8! resting upon said seat 19.Formed in the intermediate portion 18 is a tapped opening (9 receiving aset screw 83 or the like for locking the bearing pin P to the upper endof the stem S of the plug. As will be obvious, the tubular pin Pconstitutes a lubricant reservoir 86 arranged in communication with thetubular valve stem to permit passage of lubricant to the seatingsurfaces of the valve plug and valve body.

The driving pinion 82 is provided with an external shoulder 85constituting a seat for the hub of hand wheel 86 secured to said pinionby screw means 88 or the like. For retaining pinion 82 against removal,a lock nut 84 is provided, as shown in Fig. 5.

It is, of course, obvious that hand wheel 86 and pinion 82 may be madeas an integral unit, if desired, and that gears 64 and 65 may be anintegral structure, but it is preferred that the assembly be as abovedescribed, since, for a single reduction gearing, the hand wheel may besecured to the hub of pinion 64, in which case the stud or body bearingwill be unnecessary and ram. 24 will occupy the position shown in Figs.1 and 3.

The spacing of the holes on the brackets 38 and 6D is identical and,therefore, either bracket may be interchanged and moved from one valvebody to the other at will and this spacing is the same as the spacing ofthe clamping bolts used on valves having the removable head as shownherein. Therefore, the brackets may be applied to valves of the lattertype merely by removing some of the head securing bolts and attachingthe brackets.

Fig. 12 shows the upper portion of a valve of the type shown in Fig. 1,but in which the head portion 2' is formed integral with the body of thevalve. In adapting the instant invention to valves of the integral headtype, a plurality of suitably spaced tapped openings 4 are formed in thehead portion to receive brackets 38 or 60 as the case may be.

From the preceding description it is obvious that a single type of valvebody and plug will be manufactured and that this valve may be usedWithout any change either as a wrench, worm or a spur gear operatedvalve. It will, of course, also be obvious that other types of gearingand arrangements may be used merely by providing a bracket of adifferent type attached to the body by the same means as has beendescribed. It

will also be obvious that with valve plugs. and bodies produced asdescribed it will only be necessary to carry a single type of valve instock with the suitable brackets, gearing and operating Wheels carriedas accessories which" may be applied as desired or ordered either in theshop or in the field while in operation.

While the invention has been described more or less in detail, it isobvious that Various changes, modifications and rearrangements of 10parts will be apparent to those skilled in the art and all such changes,modifications and rearrangements of parts are contemplated as fallWithin the scope of the following claim.

What is claimed is: 15

portion or" the plug stem having spaced outer 25 surfaces formedconcentric with the longitudinal axis of the plug for engagement withthe wall of the bore of said removable'gear to center the latter withrespect to the longitudinal axis of said plug, whereby the said gearsare properly 30 aligned for driving cooperation and. rotation of saidplug. I ROBERT GLADE.

